Hundreds of Kentuckians gathered Thursday for a historic, ceremonial signing of the state’s first pro-life law in more than a decade.
Pro-life Gov. Matt Bevin officially signed the bill last week, immediately after the state Senate approved it, but the ceremonial signing on Thursday highlighted just how important the new law is for unborn babies and their mothers.
“Many have fought for a long, long time to see meaningful pro-life legislation come out of this legislature and be signed into law. This is the first of any significance in 12 years,” Bevin said. “We are going to celebrate and appreciate the importance of human life and the sanctity of every human life.”
Hundreds of people gathered in the Kentucky Capitol Rotunda to celebrate the signing of the bill into law, according to WLKY News. The event began with a prayer by the Rev. Charles Howell, who prayed for “the least privileged: the unborn.”
The new law amends the state’s informed consent law to require either an in-person or a real-time video consultation between a doctor and woman at least 24 hours before having an abortion, according to the Associated Press. During the meeting, the woman will be informed about the risks of abortion, the age of her unborn baby and the support available to her if she chose childbirth.
Legislators said the bill was needed because some abortion facilities were not conducting live consultations with women before abortion procedures; instead, they would instruct women to call in and listen to a recorded message, according to the AP.
Lead sponsor of the bill state Sen. Julie Raque Adams previously said that face-to-face medical consultations prior to a surgical procedure are standard medical practice – “and Kentucky women deserve no less.”
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“This is a solid bill that does much to move not only the healthcare but the wellness of women out of the restricted column and into priority status, which we so rightly deserve,” Adams said.
However, a few pro-abortion supporters also attended the event, according to the local news.
Geoff Young, an abortion activists at the event, said: “It’s about demonizing Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood is the most effective abortion reducing, abortion preventing organization that exists.”
Planned Parenthood also does more abortions than any other group in the nation and makes a lot of money doing it, something Young failed to mention. Notably, Bevin’s administration recently shut down a Planned Parenthood abortion facility in Louisville, Kentucky after it was caught doing abortions without a license at the end of January.
The new law will ensure that Planned Parenthood and other abortion facilities in the state are giving women accurate information about all of their options before having an abortion and that women will have the opportunity to ask questions and consider their options before making a decision.
In the United States, 27 states have informed consent laws in place; but unfortunately, most abortion advocates stand against the common-sense legislation. This is because they claim that it causes “undue burden” for women seeking abortion. However, as LifeNews previously reported, informed consent is standard operating procedure for physicians and patients considering a medical treatment, procedure, surgery or drugs.
Additionally, the U.S. Supreme Court has expressed its approval of informed consent laws and they’ve repeatedly been upheld as constitutional, withstanding multiple legal challenges.
